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Eeyore

Colonel Hee-Haw of Queen's Park
NSC Patron
Apr 5, 2014
25,957
WhitingB&HATeam1914-15.jpg

The Brighton & Hove Albion Football Team for the 1914-1915 Season pose for a team photograph taken by Ebenezer Pannell. Five of the players pictured in this team photograph were to lose their lives during the First World War. The five players who made the ultimate sacrifice (marked by a blue dot) were Charlie Matthews (inset, left), Bob Whiting (in the centre of the back row wearing the goalkeeper's jersey), Jasper "Ginger" Batey (standing in the middle if the third row next to Mr J. Robson, who wears a collar & tie), Ernie Townsend (the last player in the third row, standing next the assistant trainer, M. F. Coles) and Charlie Dexter (the player seated second left in the 2nd row of the team photograph).

http://www.photohistory-sussex.co.uk/Bob_Whiting_of_BHA.htm

You may be interested in this little piece I wrote about our 1914/15 encounter with Crystal Palace. At last I can put some faces to the names.

http://brightonlines.com/2014/06/25...-out-war-and-an-albion-win-at-crystal-palace/

This is the The Evening Argus report:

—————————————–

TO-DAY ‘S FOOTBALL



Albion Win at Crystal Palace

———————–



TWO GOALS TO NONE



At the Crystal Palace ground this afternoon (*Sydenham) Brighton & Hove Albion gained a very smart win over the Palace. Rain very steadily through-out the game, and this militated against the attendance, the spectators numbering fewer than 3,000.

Brighton went off very smartly, their forwards being very quick on the ball, and well together. Longstaff, Jones, Miller, Webb and Coomber all put in fine shots, but none of them took effect, thanks to the fine goalkeeping of Johnson.

Little was seen of the Palace forwards for some time, but eventually they put in several promising runs. Both Bateman and York centred accurately, but the shooting was weak. Once, however, Whiting lost the ball in running out to clear a rush by Hewitt. The inside-right looked all over a scorer, but Whiting recovered and cleared in thrilling fashion.

At half-time the score sheet was still blank.

In the second half Brighton was distinctly the better team. They did something like three-quarters of the pressing but the Palace put up a stubborn defence. Johnson still keeping goal well, and being skilfully supported by Conyer and Colclough, his backs, while Hughes played a strong defensive game at centre-half.

Try as they would Brighton forwards failed to penetrate the Palace defence until their was only eight minutes to go. Then, however, Jones scored a grand goal with a high drive, after Johnson had fisted out from a corner.

Following this the Palace made one or two spirited attempts to equalise but were well held. In the closing stages Miller put on the Albion’s second point from a corner.

The winning team had two changes from that which drew with Plymouth Argyle. Booth appearing at right-back and Miller being preferred at inside-right instead of Beech.



BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION….2

CRYSTAL PALACE………………….0





*Match played at Sydenham that season.


Some of the names in the report were later to die in service.
 
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Del Fenner

Because of Boxing Day
Sep 5, 2011
1,438
An Away Terrace
*Match played at Sydenham that season.

Presumably this was after being evicted from the Crystal Palace by the Admiralty after they commandeered it for war purposes, and immediately before before moving to the defunct West Norwood FC ground at Herne Hill (now the Herne Hill Velodrome, the only remaining venue from the 1906 London Olympics)?

Very interesting, thanks for this.
 


Eeyore

Colonel Hee-Haw of Queen's Park
NSC Patron
Apr 5, 2014
25,957
Presumably this was after being evicted from the Crystal Palace by the Admiralty after they commandeered it for war purposes, and immediately before before moving to the defunct West Norwood FC ground at Herne Hill (now the Herne Hill Velodrome, the only remaining venue from the 1906 London Olympics)?

Very interesting, thanks for this.

Interestingly, it appears that it wasn't until early 1915 before that happened. So the reasons it wasn't played at The Crystal Palace are unclear.

Edit: The article clearly states 'At the Crystal Palace ground this afternoon' although the report, when I saw it, clearly had 'Sydenham' written as its location. I wondering what the method of delivery of the report was and whether Sydenham is actually the location it was sent from as opposed to the venue.

Unless the ground was regarded as being in Sydenham borough ?
 
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Gwylan

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
31,836
Uffern
Really moving that. Surprised it wasn't more of them actually given the horrible carnage reaped on that generation.

RIP lads.

Actually, five is quite a high number: if all of the players served (and that's no certainty) three would have been the average amount (11.5% of armed forces died in WW1).

But RIP indeed ... what a tragic waste
 


The Antikythera Mechanism

The oldest known computer
NSC Patron
Aug 7, 2003
8,093
Actually, five is quite a high number: if all of the players served (and that's no certainty) three would have been the average amount (11.5% of armed forces died in WW1).

But RIP indeed ... what a tragic waste

From the look of this photo, most of them look to be preparing to go to war

WhitingB&HTeamWW1.jpg


"A picture postcard entitled "Albion Sharp Shooters" showing members of the Brighton & Hove Albion football team practising rifle drill in the early months of the First World War. The team's goalkeeper Bob Whiting (marked by a red cross) stands to attention with his rifle on his shoulder at the extreme right of the photograph (c1914)."
 


Gullflyinghigh

Registered User
Apr 23, 2012
4,279
What a great thread this is, always interesting (and sometimes sobering) to see Albion players/fans from way back when.
 








kevo

Well-known member
Mar 8, 2008
9,810
Joe Lumley is, according to @kevo , the guy on the back left, with the poster...

Yes, that's from David Ticehurst's book 'Brighton & Hove Albion: A Portrait in Old Picture Postcards'.(really nice little book if you can get hold of it).

Not sure if you have the 'Albion A-Z' but the entry on Joe Lumley says he was born in Durham in 1882 and started his career with Sheffield Utd, initially as a forward and then switched to half-back. He played for the Albion between 1905 and 1908 before being transferred to Blackburn. He failed to make their senior team so returned to Brighton for two more seasons, making his final appearance in 1912. In total, he made 52 appearances for the club, scoring two goals. Tim Carder's book also comments: "The possessor of exceptional pace, Joe was Albion's 100-yard sprint champion of 1906".
 




MattBackHome

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
11,878
Yes, that's from David Ticehurst's book 'Brighton & Hove Albion: A Portrait in Old Picture Postcards'.(really nice little book if you can get hold of it).

Not sure if you have the 'Albion A-Z' but the entry on Joe Lumley says he was born in Durham in 1882 and started his career with Sheffield Utd, initially as a forward and then switched to half-back. He played for the Albion between 1905 and 1908 before being transferred to Blackburn. He failed to make their senior team so returned to Brighton for two more seasons, making his final appearance in 1912. In total, he made 52 appearances for the club, scoring two goals. Tim Carder's book also comments: "The possessor of exceptional pace, Joe was Albion's 100-yard sprint champion of 1906".

Joe Lumley is listed in the 1911 census as living on Poynter Road - literally right next to the ground. Did all players live that close to the Goldstone?
 




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